Tongs-actuating apparatus.



No. 670,317 Patented Mar. l9, I90L' E.FR|EDLAENDER. Tones AGTUATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed on. 13, 1 00. ('No Model.) 5 Sheets 8heet Mm sssss' INVENTOR A ,aL/Qw $0 N0. 670,3l7. Patented Mar. l9, 190i. E; FRIEDLAENDER.

TONGS ACTUATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Oct. 13. 1900.

s sheets shet 2.

('No Model!) CgIENTOR fa WITNESSES No. 670,3l7. Patented Mar. l9, I90l. E. FBIEDLAENDER.

TONGS AGTUATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Oct: 13, 1900.

(No Model.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

WITNESSES No. 670,30, Patented Mar. l9, I901. E. FBIEDLAENDER. TONGS ACTUATING APPARATU8.

(Application filed Oct. 13, 1900, (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

IINVENTOR 5 wn'u 58888 Maw.

0 m m r a M d a t n e t a 4 P TONGS ACTUATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed on. 1s', 19oo.

5 Sheets-$heet 5.

mvsu-ron v M mi @(lL/Qw wqxzw (No Model.)

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE FRIEDLAENDER, on DUQUESNE, PENNSYLVANIA.

TONGS-ACTU ATlNG APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,317, dated March 19, 1.901.

' duplication filed October 13, 1900. serial No. 32,967. (No model.)

To It whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE FRIEDLAENDER, of Duqnesne, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tongs-Actuating Apparatus,'of which the following is a full, clear,- andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1. is a side elevation, partly in section, showing one form of my invention as applied to astiff-post crane. elevation showing the: drum-actuating connections. Fig. 3 is a top plan view, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view. Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation showing a preferred form of my invention. Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view of the same, and Fig. 7 is an end detail view showing the swinging pulley-carrying frame.

My invention relates to that class of cranes wherein tongs are suspended from a jib or overhead support and are raised or lowered and opened and closed in different positions, and more particularly to the class of stiffpost cranes wherein a vertically-movable post carries the tongs. Heretofore in this class of apparatus flexible hose connections have.

been employed for conducting the power to the tongs opening and closing motor, and these have given much trouble. from their short life, owing largely to the proximityof heated metal and their usually workingover soaking-pits and heating-furnaces. a

My invention is designed to do away .with all connecting pipes, whether flexible or jointed; and it consists,broad ly, in employing I a flexible connection which leads to the tongsactuating element and is wound up or paid out automatically as the tongs are raised and lowered, mechanism being provided for actuating the cord independent of the movement of the tongs-carrier to open and close the tongs.

It further consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, and set forthin the claims.

In the drawings, referring to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, 2 represents the frame of a trolley, which may be mounted upon a crane jib or arm in any suitable way,- as upon wheels mounted in bearings, (indicated at 3 3.) A

Fig. 2isan end power-shaft 4 is mounted in suitable bearingson the jib and driven throughproper connections, this shaft carrying a pinion 5, which hollow stiff post 7. This stiff post'moves vertically within a suitable bearing 8. upon the trolley and carries at its lower ends the ingoti tongs, which I have shown as having a baseplate 9, provided. with oppositely inclined slotslO 10, containing'pins-ll, secured to'the w upper end of the tong-levers 1212fThese tong-levers are mounted on pivot-s 13, carried in a vertically-movable plate 14, the actuating-rod 15 of which extends upwardly within the hollow post carrying the tongs. ,I

have shown this rod '15 as terminating in a yoke '16, within which moves the enlarged end 17 of a bar 18, thus forming a loose sliding or jar connection between theactnating rope or. cord 19 and the rod 15. The cord 19 extends over the upper pulleys'20 and thence down to a winding-drum 21, loose on a shaft 22, mounted in a frame 23, which frame is provided with bearings surrounding the power-shaft 4 and has an integral sleeve24 extending .througha supporting-bearing. 25.

The drum 21 is provided with an integral col- ,v lar 26, surrounding the shaft 22,.and to this:

collaris keyed apinion 27, engaging a toothed wheel 28, fixed to and rotatory wi th theshaft 4.

A toothed segment 29 -.is secured to. the. sleeve 24 of the swingingzf ram e,this segment engaging a pinion 30 on shaft 31, having a toothed wheel 32 en gagi ng-a pinion 33 onxanother shaft,

to which a toothed wheel 34 maybe clamped 1 by'a suitable clutch 35. intermeshes with a pinion 36 on the shaft 37, which may extend to an electric motor on the trolley or may be driven by other suitable connections. To prevent jars at the end of Toothed whet 21.34

the movements of the segment, I pivot to it shaft 4, the pinion 5 moving the post verti- 55 engages a rack 6,-formed upon oneside'of a cally to the desired point. During this move be actuated, thus swinging the frame 23,-

ment the drum 21 is driven by its connection with the pinion 28 so as to wind up or pay out the'eord 19 proportionatelyto the movement of the tongs carrier; Any tendency of the drum to strain'the cord, owing to momentum it): ittggroper proportioning-of the gears, may between the rod 15 and the-cord. When the tongs are brought to the desired point by ac tuating the shaft 37, the segmental rackwill which travels about the pinion 28, a short distance, thus driving the drum 21 and drawing up or slacking on the cord so as to open or close the tongs.

In order to avoid the necessity of the loose connection between the tongs-actuating me mber and the cord or. rope, I prefer to employ the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In this form f the cord 19 is secured 'rigidly to the actuating-rod a small counterweight 44 being V flrstform and is notshown.

tion-of this second form 'the'cord is drawn "over the pulleys A by its end connection with preferably employed. In this form the winding-drum for the cord is done away with and the cord extendsdownwardly from the pulleys 20' to and over a pulley 45, mounted in a swinging frame'23', and thence "over pulley 46, under pulley 47-, and upwardly to the upper partof the stifl' post, to which its end portion is secured, as shown at 48. The pulleys 46 and 47 are mounted in stationary bearings upon the jib, and the rocking frame or arm 23"ispreferably provided with a'oonnterweight 49, secured beyond'the bearing fort-he pulley 45. The'tne'ohanism for rocking the" frame 23' may be the same in this as in the In the operathe post, the counterweight 44 keeping the cord taut and in. roper position 'as the stiff post'islowered. 1 hewinding-drumfor the rope and the ednnections'fordriving it are thus done away with, and at the sometime .45

'the'rope.

therein less liability of straining-or breaking The advantages of mymrention will heap I parent to those skilled in the a'rt, since um use of all fluid '-'conducting piping is done away with and asimple and etfec'tive system provided for actuating the tongs at any desired point.

en upby the'loose connection-or joint Many changes may be made in the form and arrangement; of the mechanisms for carrying, lifting, and lowering the tongs and for opening and closing them without departing from my-invention.

1. Atrolley having dpendingtougs,meching connection, a pulley over which the connection extends, means for moving the pulley to draw or slack on the cord,and actuating'connections'arranged to positively wind up and pay out the cord during vertical move-.

ment of the tongs; substantially as described. 3. A crane havinga vertically-movablesupport, tongs secured thereto, a tongs-actuating member, .a-pulley mounted upon a rockiugarm, a flexible connection for the tongsactuating member extending over the pulley,

by the movement of the-tongs-support, and mechanism for swinging he rocking arm; substantially as described.-

4. A still-post crane having tongs secured and thence to a cord-actuating device driven s to'the post, mechanism for moving the post 'verti c'ally, =a'tongs-actuating member having.

a cord extending'over intermediate pulleys,

and thence to the -post to which it is secured,

and connections arranged to move one of said pulleys to actuate the tongs; substantially as described;

5. A trolley having adepending tongs-support with tongs carried thereoma tongs-ac tuat-ing member, aflexibleconnectiott therefor leading to'the tongs-support, and mech an'ism for drawing or paying out the cord to actuate the tongs; substantiallyas-described. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set ni'yhand. 1m

' EUGENE FRIEDLAENDER. Witnesses: V

' L...A. Comma, J r., G. I. HOLDSHIP. 

